Impact of COVID-19 Generated Emerging Pollutants on Aquatic Environment and Its Effect on Fish Population and Its Edibility: A Review

Fish and aquaculture plays a major role as a source of nutrition for millions of consumers and source of earning for about 12% of total global population. After Covid-19 outbreak the risk factors in the aquatic environment has been increased due to accumulation of highly toxic emerging pollutants such as personal protective equipment, chemicals, steroids, antibiotics, hormones, microplastics and other biomedical associated pollutants. An alarming occurrence of Covid-19 generated emerging contaminants has now become a threat to our environment. These consequences decelerated the global fish production rate to 1.3% per annum, compare to 2.0% of per annum growth rate of previous decades. A fall of nearly 5% in captured fisheries production has been noticed in last three years indubitably due to the interference in fishing operation due to Covid-19 pandemic. The use of plastic economically got decreased during pandemic but there found a raise in level of plastic wastes such as; medical equipment like disposable mask, PPEkit, face shield, gloves and plastic packaging etc., which got disposed near river beam, seabed and beaches. The Covid-19 allied plastic waste release has reached approximately to 9 million tons across 193 countries over the world with 26 thousand tons deposition into global ocean in the year of 2022.The existing problems need to be resolved by adopting suitable methods to reduce the pollutant level in aquatic environment or else it will degrade the aquatic environment as well the aquatic life. This paper portrays the adverse effects of the Covid-19 emerging pollutants on the mortifying quality of aquatic bodies and their effect on fish and its edibility. This study provides qualitative and quantitative limits for the safe and appropriate consumption of fish which will be beneficial to indicate the potential risk factors and will act a recommendation to take control measure for the disposal of Covid-19 spawned emerging water pollutants from various aquatic bodies.